Anna C

Hope everyone has a wonderful time; I'm sure the performances will be super. :-)

Good luck indeed! And welcome to the forum. :-)

I wonder also if what we eat has any bearing? Food additives, and medicines and hormones added to meat etc. must surely affect our own insides. It's one of the reasons why I try to buy as much organic food as possible, and to limit the amount of additives we all ingest (occasional lapses excepted). I read that additives and diet in general have played a part in how growth has changed over the years. D'you know what though - we can do all the guessing and calculation in the world, but to a large degree, what will be will be! I can try to keep my dd as healthy as possible with regard to what she eats, but at the end of the day her height has already been pre-determined. Like anything else, the best thing to do is to make the best of whatever you've got! :-)

Yes, either are very near. Covent Garden is sometimes exit-only on Saturdays, but if that's the case then as others have said, Leicester Square and Holborn are within 5-10 minutes walk.

Gosh, lots of interesting info here. Drdance, I hope you don't mind me asking, but are you of a medical background? You have some very detailed facts! :-)

Cockfosters would be a good bet - heaps of parking, Piccadilly Line straight into Covent Garden, and it's the end of the line so you always get a seat!

I thought weight and/ or exercise played a part. My dd is 13 and a half; she's 5'4 and is not yet 7 stone.

Oh my goodness; my dd has already grown 4 inches this year, don't say she's going to be 2 inches taller than me! Yikes!

Yes, my friend booked via Owners Direct for Easter school, and got a fab apartment overlooking the Shard. She didn't have any trouble and would use them again. :-)

I was going to suggest seeing if Travelodge or Premier Inn are having sales, but if you're talking this summer everybody has doubled or tripled their London prices because of the Olympics. When - and where in London - is it?

Absolutely. And even if you have the most wonderful teacher in the world, that teacher usually has other pupils to think about and look after, sometimes a hundred or so. As a parent, you ultimately have to look out for your own child and have their lifelong health and best interests at heart. So I completely agree with "trust but verify". :-)

Well, we've gone off topic somewhat, but I do think we need to be careful of making sweeping statements, e.g. "and they do need to pace themselves otherwise they get burnt out, go off the rails or (probably worst of all) develop an eating disorder". Let's try to keep this thread to discussing the original topic. If you would like to discuss eating disorders then I will try to find a link to the previous thread and we can continue the discussion there.

I agree with parts of your post aileen, in that it is very important to pace yourself with regards to homework. My dd's school does give a lot of homework but its well-deserved academic reputation stems from more than just the amount of homework it sets. In certain subjects I did have to limit the amount of time my dd spent on homework, but now she is able to prioritise and find a good balance. She's doing outstandingly well so seems to be getting things well balanced for now. I think you need to explain your theory behind the correlation between lots of homework and developing an eating disorder though. I wouldn't like to think we were about to panic anyone whose child is conscientious about homework into assuming they are about to develop an eating disorder!

I think that journey could take considerably longer on a Friday in rush hour, but you won't know exactly how long until you've given it a go. I'd be inclined to do it this year though; homework's only going to increase the further up the school she goes. At least then you'll have given it a try and won't regret not doing it.

That seems like a reasonable exercise; did she demonstrate the exercise to you? Grishko Triumphs apparently have a Medium vamp; if - like my daughter - you don't have very high arches and insteps, then it might be worth trying a lower vamp next time in case the vamp is holding you back slightly. Also, if the shoes aren't broken in at the demi pointe, that could also be holding you back slightly. If you have a look on Youtube for Lisa Howell's video on breaking in pointe shoes, she shows how to gently massage the shoe at the demi pointe (go easy though). Or lots of rises in parallel and first, working right through quarter pointe, demi pointe, three quarter pointe and back down again. Don't go up onto full pointe and make sure you control your descent. Edited to add that Anjuli and I were typing at the same time; it's really vital not to do an exercise unless the teacher (or a physio) has demonstrated it fully to you. It's better not to do an exercise than to do it wrong.

It largely depends on travelling time, and how much homework your dd's secondary school is likely to give her. Is it a highly academic school? My dd's senior school is hugely academic and the girls got over an hour's homework every night in Year 7. We did know this before she started there and that has influenced some of her dance decisions; for example keeping termtime Sundays free. Even though she gets to do homework during two PE lessons a week, she still ends up spending most of Sunday doing homework. My nieces' school on the other hand doesn't give very much homework at all in comparison, so that would have made a difference. So if you can find out whether your dd's new school will be very homework-heavy, that might help with your decision.

Did she give you specific theraband exercises? Because different theraband exercises will strengthen different areas of the foot and you might end up over working one area and accidentally neglecting the correct area. Which make and model of shoe are you wearing?

Well, it depends which part of the foot may be lacking in strength, or whether it's a flexibility issue at the front of your ankle. Or your foot could be fine but you may need a shoe with a deeper/lower vamp. It's impossible to tell. Have you spoken to your teacher and/or a dance physio?

Hope the exam goes really well, taxi. :-)

Yes, you're quite right taxi - I think it may have been in an MDS thread or a Tring thread. I have searched for it unsuccessfully but IIRC it was - possibly - one of the requirements for MDS funding at Tring. Don't quote me on that though! The trouble is with feet is that you can strengthen them, and to an extent you can increase their flexibility, but in the long run you can only make the best of what you've been given. I was reassured to watch a clip of the gorgeous Lauren Cuthbertson the other day, who has lovely feet, but they're not banana feet by any stretch of the imagination. :-)

I'd read that, but given that some girls start as young as 9, can that be correct?

:-)

Hfbrew, I completely agree - except to add that if a child is deemed strong enough in physique and technique at 12, is doing enough quality training during the week and is at a good Associate scheme, then IMHO they are not just a "recreational" dancer, so they shouldn't necessarily have to wait longer to go en pointe just because they're not at Vocational School. With regards to 9 year-olds performing a flirtatious Kitri variation en pointe - yuck. :-(. Sorry. It just makes me cringe.

Yes, there is a minimum age at which you can take your Intermediate Foundation, BUT there's no maximum age, so there's nothing to say you have to take it at 11. It's difficult to find a balance for non-vocational students sometimes because I think they feel they need to keep up with Vocational students and take the exams at around the same age. But by the same token there is no need to rush the Vocational exams. I hope that my dd will have taken her Intermediate by the end of next Summer; but I'll be guided by her teacher.

Hi Miss.sp8, Just wanted to welcome you to the forum. :-)